In the new age of social media, we are seeing levels of human transparency that we have never been exposed to before. Now, in almost real-time you can see what your friends ate for breakfast, the presents they received for Christmas, or what kind of coffee they just ordered. So what’s the one thing that your friends have in common with business owners and their employees? At the most basic level – they are all human. This level of human transparency has made consumers prioritize reachability over almost anything else when it comes to what we want to see online – including what we want to see from businesses.
Humanizing your brand is no longer an option, it’s a necessity. People like making connections. They enjoy investing their time and money in people they feel like they know and can relate to. You’ll need to build a brand image that is just as approachable, relatable, and reachable as those who you are trying to attract. In other words, you need to make your brand more human, just like its consumers.
All in all, humanizing your brand has a multitude of benefits, including gaining credibility and getting your voice heard. Use these five simple tips to get started today!
Humanizing Your Brand on Social Media
Share and engage with your audience
Adapting to a more relatable and personable style of communication is a great way to establish meaningful connections with your audience. Using industry-specific language may make you feel super smart, but can often come off as inaccessible to the reader. In lieu of your standard business jargon, try building a dialogue with your audience. Inspire and encourage them to ask questions and, when they do, have real humans respond. This will not only give you those “human bonus points” you are searching for, but drive up engagement as well.
Give your brand a personality
One unique aspect of being a human being is the way we talk and interact with others. We all interact in a unique and consistent way, which in turn develops into our personality. In order for your brand to feel more human, it needs to acquire the habits and voice that fits an overall character. If you are having trouble finding the right personality for your brand, try asking yourself these questions;
What kinds of things would your brand do, eat or listen to? Where would your brand hang out? Who are its best friends? What would your brand do for fun on the weekend?
Show behind the scenes
As discussed in the opening paragraph, transparency creates likability. Not only do you have to seem like a human, you have to show off some humans too! Let your followers get to know those who work behind the scenes and the daily processes they face. This could be for company events, or even just “out in the wild” doing average, normal human day-to-day things! The better your audience knows your employees, the more likely that they will feel like supporting you is similar to supporting a friend – and who doesn’t want that?
Slow down on the sales pitch
I know, I know, this is the entire reason you are on social media to begin with! You want to sell your products and services, but the truth is – no one is going to follow your page if they feel like all you want is their money. When all you do is sell-sell-sell, your customers (rightly) tune out. Sometimes it’s more effective to tone down the sales pitch and offer helpful content that doesn’t directly involve your products or services. Showing that your brand isn’t all about making sales increases your chances of making a sale.
Educate your audience
Think about the last time you bought something that a friend recommended to you. It’s very unlikely that they gave you some buttoned-up sales pitch. Instead, they most likely highlighted the problem, told you what they liked about the product and why they feel like it does a better job than others. Think of your audience like that friend. Acknowledge their problem and then gently mention how your product addresses the issue.
Humanizing your brand keeps your audience returning to your channels to engage with you, consume your content, and ultimately drive sales. Try out these tactics and watch your engagement and sales soar! And if you need a hand with humanizing your content, give us a shout. We’re always ready to help.